Lesson 7: Humility shown in respect for law:
By G.R. Balleine
[Warning: Balleine was writing in the 1920s and 1930s, and his views and language reflect many at that time. However, as a time capsule of the prevailing beliefs, this can be very useful for the historians of that period.]
PASSAGE TO BE READ: St. Matthew xvii. 24-27.
TEXT TO BE LEARNT: “Every one that is proud in heart is an abomination to the Lord " (Pray. xvi. 5).
HYMNS " Blessed are the pure in heart," and " Once in royal David's city."
COLLECTS for Third Sunday after Easter and Seventh Sunday after Trinity.
By G.R. Balleine
[Warning: Balleine was writing in the 1920s and 1930s, and his views and language reflect many at that time. However, as a time capsule of the prevailing beliefs, this can be very useful for the historians of that period.]
PASSAGE TO BE READ: St. Matthew xvii. 24-27.
TEXT TO BE LEARNT: “Every one that is proud in heart is an abomination to the Lord " (Pray. xvi. 5).
HYMNS " Blessed are the pure in heart," and " Once in royal David's city."
COLLECTS for Third Sunday after Easter and Seventh Sunday after Trinity.
Aim : To make clear why the duty of Obedience is so often pressed upon children.
I. LAWS ARE NECESSARY.
(a) Do you know what happened to the boy who was too proud to keep rules ? He said, " I am going to do as I please. Why should I obey rules made by other people ? I'm going to be quite independent." He was given a watch, and told to wind it regularly every night. He said to himself, " I won't be bound by any such rule," and of course the watch stopped. At school he refused to pay any attention to laws of arithmetic or laws of spelling, so of course he made no progress. At games he was a failure, for you cannot play football or rounders or even marbles without obeying the rules of the game. He mounted his bicycle, but as he refused to obey the rule of the road, he was soon run over by a motorcar. The doctor brought a bottle of medicine marked " One tablespoonful every three hours." He said, " I won't be bound by a silly rule like that. I like the taste, and so I'll drink the whole bottle at once." And he died. No one can get through life without submitting to laws.
(b) One of Mrs. Gatty's Fables tells how a climbing rose rebelled against the strip of cloth that fastened it to the wall. " Help me," it cried to the wind, " to drag out this provoking nail, so that I can be free." " That nail is there," said the wind, " to train you properly." " I don't care," said the foolish branch, " I want to be free." " Have your own way then," said the wind ; and he jerked the branch forward quickly, and the nail came out of the wall. A heavy shower fell that night. The branch was bent to the ground, and lay there splashed with mud. " Well," said the wind next day, " are you enjoying your freedom ? " " I don't choose to be tied," said the branch. " The sun isn't nailed up." " Why," cried the wind, " I know nothing more obedient than the sun. A time to rise and a time to set and a fixed path every day." " I don't care," said the branch, " leave me alone." Next day the neighbouring rose trees all burst into blossom, but the foolish branch still lay in the mud. " Help me," it said to the wind, " to climb to the top of the wall." This the wind could not do, but it knocked an ivy branch against the gardener's window, till he came out. He noticed the rose, and quickly nailed it again to the wall. Soon its beautiful, pure white buds began to unfold them-selves in the sunshine. " Would you like me to draw out those provoking nails ? " teased the wind. " What? Let me down into the mud again! “said the rose-branch.” No, thank you."
(c) We must learn the laws of cricket before we can play the game. There must be six balls to an over ; after each over the fielders must change positions ; if a ball is caught, the batsman who struck it is out, and so on. There are two stern masterful umpires who make sure that the laws are observed. There are laws of draughts, dominoes, chess, tennis, hop-scotch, musical chairs. You cannot enjoy any game unless you keep the laws.
(d) The old gardener at Versailles was in sad distress. Irle took great pains over the King's flower-beds, but as soon as he had sown his seeds the noblemen and ladies strolled over his beds, and destroyed his work. At last he appealed to Louis XIV himself. The King told him to put little tablets along the sides of his flower-beds (the French word for a " little tablet " is etiquette), and promised to issue a State Order commanding every one not to step over the etiquette. At first the lords and ladies chafed under the new restrictions, but later, when the beds became a blaze of colour, they blessed the old man, and laughed at their earlier folly. Submitting to restrictions' had increased, not decreased, their pleasures. And so the saying, " Don't step over the etiquette " became a kind of proverb. They applied it to all sorts of rules to which people voluntarily submit for the general good—rules of behaviour, rules of good manners. Don't trample beautiful things underfoot. Don't step over the etiquette.
(e) The cannibal has hardly any restrictions. He does as he likes. He tramples without restraint on all life's flower-beds. But the more he travels towards civilization, the more he has to submit to rules and regulations. The more civilized he becomes, the more those laws multiply. Every step forward is bought by the sacrifice of some of his freedom. Cannibalism is freedom and wretchedness. Civilization is submission to Law and happiness.
II. LAWS OF THE LAND.
(a) There are the laws of our country. A French explorer dug up in Mesopotamia the broken parts of a great black stone covered with writing. When scholars deciph6red it they found that these were the Laws of Hammurabi, who was King of Babylon three hundred years before Abraham. Even in those early days Babylon had its laws. “It is forbidden to do this," " It is forbidden to do that." And on the top was a picture of the Sun-God handing the Law Book to the king, showing that the Babylonians believed that these laws had the authority of their God behind them.
(b) In ancient Rome twelve bronze tablets were fixed in the midst of the city, on which were written the Laws of the Republic. All school-children learnt them by heart in sing-song Latin : " Dead bodies must not be buried inside the city. False witnesses must be hurled from the Tarpeian Rock. A clear space of five feet must be left between the houses," etc.
(c) Many pages of the Old Testament are taken up with the Laws of the Jews. The learning of these formed a large part of a Jewish child's education. " Ye shall teach them your children, speaking of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way " (Deut. xi. 19).
(d) Our Lord set an example of obedience to the laws of the land. One day He returned to Capernaum after a preaching tour. The other disciples dispersed to their homes, and He went to stay with St. Peter. They found the tax-collector waiting for them. The Temple tax should have been paid at Pentecost, but they had been away from home. Now, this tax of 2s. 4d. a head for the upkeep of the Temple was a disputed one. It was not commanded in the Old Testament, but had been imposed by the Pharisees. Some Jews refused to pay it. The tax-collector asked St. Peter, " Doth not your Master pay tribute " He, knowing our Lord's attitude to the Law, answered at once " Yes." But, when he talked it over with our Lord, he found that He agreed with those who disapproved of the tax. In the East citizens were free from taxes, which were only imposed on conquered races. This tax seemed to treat the Jews like God's conquered subjects, not His free children. The Temple should be supported by freewill offerings. Yet, though He disapproved of the Law, while it remained Law, He was prepared to obey it. He told St. Peter to go fishing, and obtain money to pay the tax. Read Passage. Teachers must decide what view they take of what followed. The story seems to suggest that the coin would be found inside the fish's mouth. But commentators point out : (i) that our Lord never worked a miracle to supply His own need ; (ii) that St. Matthew does not go on to describe any such miracle ; (iii) that the words may mean no more than that he should open the mouth to take out the hook, and then sell the fish.
III. LAWS OF GOD.
(a) Sometimes it may be a duty to rebel against a bad human law : e.g. the Americans throwing the tea into Boston harbour, or the early Christian martyrs refusing to sacrifice. But there is another group of laws that it is always lunacy to break. These are the Laws of God. Our third Baptismal promise was “that I should keep God's holy will and commandments, and walk in the same all the days of my life."
(b) Some of God's Laws we call the Laws of Nature : for example, the Laws of Health. We must keep our bodies clean, feed them with the right kinds of food at regular intervals, give them the right amount of sleep, or illness is inevitable.
(c) Some of God's Laws we call the Moral Law. " Sin is the transgression of the law " (1 John iii. 4). “The wages of sin is death “(Rom. vi. 23). Is there any sense in butting one's head against a brick wall? It is just as senseless to try to break through the fixed laws of God.
(d) The happy life is a life of obedience to God's Law. Our second collect for Morning Prayer contains the beautiful phrase, “God Whose service is perfect freedom." As the first story in the Bible tries to show us, while man obeys, he is happy. When God's Laws are broken, Paradise is always lost.
I. LAWS ARE NECESSARY.
(a) Do you know what happened to the boy who was too proud to keep rules ? He said, " I am going to do as I please. Why should I obey rules made by other people ? I'm going to be quite independent." He was given a watch, and told to wind it regularly every night. He said to himself, " I won't be bound by any such rule," and of course the watch stopped. At school he refused to pay any attention to laws of arithmetic or laws of spelling, so of course he made no progress. At games he was a failure, for you cannot play football or rounders or even marbles without obeying the rules of the game. He mounted his bicycle, but as he refused to obey the rule of the road, he was soon run over by a motorcar. The doctor brought a bottle of medicine marked " One tablespoonful every three hours." He said, " I won't be bound by a silly rule like that. I like the taste, and so I'll drink the whole bottle at once." And he died. No one can get through life without submitting to laws.
(b) One of Mrs. Gatty's Fables tells how a climbing rose rebelled against the strip of cloth that fastened it to the wall. " Help me," it cried to the wind, " to drag out this provoking nail, so that I can be free." " That nail is there," said the wind, " to train you properly." " I don't care," said the foolish branch, " I want to be free." " Have your own way then," said the wind ; and he jerked the branch forward quickly, and the nail came out of the wall. A heavy shower fell that night. The branch was bent to the ground, and lay there splashed with mud. " Well," said the wind next day, " are you enjoying your freedom ? " " I don't choose to be tied," said the branch. " The sun isn't nailed up." " Why," cried the wind, " I know nothing more obedient than the sun. A time to rise and a time to set and a fixed path every day." " I don't care," said the branch, " leave me alone." Next day the neighbouring rose trees all burst into blossom, but the foolish branch still lay in the mud. " Help me," it said to the wind, " to climb to the top of the wall." This the wind could not do, but it knocked an ivy branch against the gardener's window, till he came out. He noticed the rose, and quickly nailed it again to the wall. Soon its beautiful, pure white buds began to unfold them-selves in the sunshine. " Would you like me to draw out those provoking nails ? " teased the wind. " What? Let me down into the mud again! “said the rose-branch.” No, thank you."
(c) We must learn the laws of cricket before we can play the game. There must be six balls to an over ; after each over the fielders must change positions ; if a ball is caught, the batsman who struck it is out, and so on. There are two stern masterful umpires who make sure that the laws are observed. There are laws of draughts, dominoes, chess, tennis, hop-scotch, musical chairs. You cannot enjoy any game unless you keep the laws.
(d) The old gardener at Versailles was in sad distress. Irle took great pains over the King's flower-beds, but as soon as he had sown his seeds the noblemen and ladies strolled over his beds, and destroyed his work. At last he appealed to Louis XIV himself. The King told him to put little tablets along the sides of his flower-beds (the French word for a " little tablet " is etiquette), and promised to issue a State Order commanding every one not to step over the etiquette. At first the lords and ladies chafed under the new restrictions, but later, when the beds became a blaze of colour, they blessed the old man, and laughed at their earlier folly. Submitting to restrictions' had increased, not decreased, their pleasures. And so the saying, " Don't step over the etiquette " became a kind of proverb. They applied it to all sorts of rules to which people voluntarily submit for the general good—rules of behaviour, rules of good manners. Don't trample beautiful things underfoot. Don't step over the etiquette.
(e) The cannibal has hardly any restrictions. He does as he likes. He tramples without restraint on all life's flower-beds. But the more he travels towards civilization, the more he has to submit to rules and regulations. The more civilized he becomes, the more those laws multiply. Every step forward is bought by the sacrifice of some of his freedom. Cannibalism is freedom and wretchedness. Civilization is submission to Law and happiness.
II. LAWS OF THE LAND.
(a) There are the laws of our country. A French explorer dug up in Mesopotamia the broken parts of a great black stone covered with writing. When scholars deciph6red it they found that these were the Laws of Hammurabi, who was King of Babylon three hundred years before Abraham. Even in those early days Babylon had its laws. “It is forbidden to do this," " It is forbidden to do that." And on the top was a picture of the Sun-God handing the Law Book to the king, showing that the Babylonians believed that these laws had the authority of their God behind them.
(b) In ancient Rome twelve bronze tablets were fixed in the midst of the city, on which were written the Laws of the Republic. All school-children learnt them by heart in sing-song Latin : " Dead bodies must not be buried inside the city. False witnesses must be hurled from the Tarpeian Rock. A clear space of five feet must be left between the houses," etc.
(c) Many pages of the Old Testament are taken up with the Laws of the Jews. The learning of these formed a large part of a Jewish child's education. " Ye shall teach them your children, speaking of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way " (Deut. xi. 19).
(d) Our Lord set an example of obedience to the laws of the land. One day He returned to Capernaum after a preaching tour. The other disciples dispersed to their homes, and He went to stay with St. Peter. They found the tax-collector waiting for them. The Temple tax should have been paid at Pentecost, but they had been away from home. Now, this tax of 2s. 4d. a head for the upkeep of the Temple was a disputed one. It was not commanded in the Old Testament, but had been imposed by the Pharisees. Some Jews refused to pay it. The tax-collector asked St. Peter, " Doth not your Master pay tribute " He, knowing our Lord's attitude to the Law, answered at once " Yes." But, when he talked it over with our Lord, he found that He agreed with those who disapproved of the tax. In the East citizens were free from taxes, which were only imposed on conquered races. This tax seemed to treat the Jews like God's conquered subjects, not His free children. The Temple should be supported by freewill offerings. Yet, though He disapproved of the Law, while it remained Law, He was prepared to obey it. He told St. Peter to go fishing, and obtain money to pay the tax. Read Passage. Teachers must decide what view they take of what followed. The story seems to suggest that the coin would be found inside the fish's mouth. But commentators point out : (i) that our Lord never worked a miracle to supply His own need ; (ii) that St. Matthew does not go on to describe any such miracle ; (iii) that the words may mean no more than that he should open the mouth to take out the hook, and then sell the fish.
III. LAWS OF GOD.
(a) Sometimes it may be a duty to rebel against a bad human law : e.g. the Americans throwing the tea into Boston harbour, or the early Christian martyrs refusing to sacrifice. But there is another group of laws that it is always lunacy to break. These are the Laws of God. Our third Baptismal promise was “that I should keep God's holy will and commandments, and walk in the same all the days of my life."
(b) Some of God's Laws we call the Laws of Nature : for example, the Laws of Health. We must keep our bodies clean, feed them with the right kinds of food at regular intervals, give them the right amount of sleep, or illness is inevitable.
(c) Some of God's Laws we call the Moral Law. " Sin is the transgression of the law " (1 John iii. 4). “The wages of sin is death “(Rom. vi. 23). Is there any sense in butting one's head against a brick wall? It is just as senseless to try to break through the fixed laws of God.
(d) The happy life is a life of obedience to God's Law. Our second collect for Morning Prayer contains the beautiful phrase, “God Whose service is perfect freedom." As the first story in the Bible tries to show us, while man obeys, he is happy. When God's Laws are broken, Paradise is always lost.
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